E1M6: The Bastions of Eternal Winter (Sold Soul)

E1M6: The Bastions of Eternal Winter is the sixth map of Sold Soul. It was designed by Fryuko and uses the music track "Watch Your Step" from .

Essentials
The water surrounding the bastion is instantly fatal if you fall into it.

Follow the dirt path past a golem into the bastion, collect a Dragon Claw at the entrance then head north past more golem ghosts into a square chamber with an Ethereal Crossbow, a Hellstaff and some ophidians. Open the west door to enter a keep, which contains several small buildings and an assortment of monsters, then fight your way to the west tower and look north to see a small metal pillar with a blue trident switch. Pressing the switch will lower a pillar holding the yellow key, which is due east of the switch at the end of another dirt path; gather as many supplies as possible before taking the key as it will bring in a horde of sabreclaws, undead warriors, followers of D'Sparil, fire gargoyles, one to four chaos wyverns and six to ten iron liches. To leave the keep, go back to the entrance door and activate the stone lift underneath it to get back up to that door.

Back in the square chamber, go south into the entrance hallway then east to a yellow key door. Open the door to enter a narrow corridor with fire gargoyles and undead warrior ghosts, then open a second door in the east wall to enter a hall with weredragons and nitrogolem ghosts (plus an iron lich on bringest them oneth skill level or higher). Enter the lift and press the switch here to go down to the floor below, where a sabreclaw and a couple of undead warriors are waiting, then open the large door to get outside where numerous monsters are waiting. Follow the dirt path east to see the blue key on an ice block, which is protected by a death knight on thou art a smite-meister or higher; approach the blue key slowly, as if you go too fast your momentum will cause you to slide off the ice and land in the water below, resulting in instant death. Taking the key will release iron liches and chaos serpents into the area.

Go back to where you found the Dragon Claw and open the nearby door, take the Phoenix Rod ahead then go down the steps to enter the keep's south tower, which contains sabreclaws and ophidians. Follow the battlements round to the west tower, killing or dodging a maulotaur that teleports in to block your path, then continue on to the east tower which holds disciples and a chaos serpent. Head east across a bridge to a platform with a D'Sparil statue, which will cause bars to rise and block the west and south exits, then fight off the weredragons and followers that teleport behind you before opening the east door (the switch here is optional). The next room contains one to three iron liches who are guarding a barred door; to lower the bars you must press the switch by the south wall, then hold off a pack of weredragons and disciples of D'Sparil that teleport in while you wait for the bars to drop; a Ring of Invulnerability is recommended if you have one. Leave the room by the east door and follow the dirt path to another switch, dodging more disciples and an iron lich that teleport in, then press the switch to slowly raise some platforms to your left - you can use these platforms to reach the ledge with the exit teleporter.

Other points of interest
The switch in front of the blue key door at the north end of the map will lower the bars that rise to block your escape. Pass through the door behind the south bars to find a lift that goes up to a Lightbringer and the green key, which is needed to leave the room. Approaching the items opens a monster closet full of undead warriors.

Secrets

 * 1) At the start, head north and to the north-east corner. Look north-west through the window and shoot the red-eyed mural, then enter the building and go north, then east until you get to an open room to the south. This has a Bag of Holding and a Silver Shield. (sector 223)
 * 2) On the bridge at the south end, head to the east side and hug the outer wall going north and further east, going through a false wall which hides a Map Scroll. (sector 486)
 * 3) On the bridge at the south end, head to the north side and use the outer wall to head west, falling to a crate with a Morph Ovum. (sector 1118)
 * 4) Below secret #2 you can find a tiny button on the north wall. Use it, then head north in the village until you can head east to a Ring of Invulnerability. (sector 1361)
 * 5) In the building at the north end, head to the north end and go to the west. Use the switch, then head for the south-west corner and take the teleporter to icy platforms. (sector 1823)
 * 6) From secret #5, go north-east, then on the largest island, head to the north-east side to find Nova Runes. (sector 1846)
 * 7) At the eastern village on the high ground, drop to the south-west corner and open the door to find Crystal Vials and Nova Runes. (sector 2612) Approach the imp doll in the middle of the pentagram to return to the floor above.

Current records
The records for the map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

The (absence of) data was last verified in its entirety on December 16, 2021.

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level: